Botafumeiro swings with a new scent

Moderator

NOTE from a chagrined peregrina: If you scroll through this thread, you will see I have been duped! Fake news. But since it is pretty funny, I will leave it up. And a good reminder to me to keep my thinking cap on when I read stories online. And looking at the report now, I keep saying to myself — HOW could I possibly have thought that was real?! Hopefully, lesson learned.

I don’t know if this is a sacrilege or a sin, but I couldn’t help chuckling. Two of the monaguillos (the guys in brown who swing the botafumeiro) were arrested for having put marijuana in the botafumeiro.

Apparently this was part of a New Years Eve resolution, and the two who were apprehended said they were sure everyone left the church happier than when they came in.

Priceless comment from one of those at the mass (paraphrasing): “It didn’t smell like incense, and I couldn’t put my finger on it but I have smelled something similar in my son’s bedroom.”

"True Pilgrim"

This is during Mass -- it's a sacrilege. They probably shan't incur any very severe canonical penalty, it's clear they acted from out of ignorance, but it's clear they can't be permitted to fulfil any function whatsoever at the Holy Mass.

Active Member

The incongruent situation is what made me chuckle - the totally unexpected. However, I agree, the act is sacrilegious - committed out of ignorance, perhaps- but at the very least disrespectful in so many ways. The thought of it has bothered me throughout the day. Whether we laugh or not, it needs to be seen for what it is. Cambridge definition of sacrilegious : treating something holy or important without respect.
On another note, I wonder.. Did this really happen, or is this some made-up joke to gauge our reactions?

Administrator

I don’t know if this is a sacrilege or a sin, but I couldn’t help chuckling. Two of the monaguillos (the guys in brown who swing the botafumeiro) were arrested for having put marijuana in the botafumeiro.

Apparently this was part of a New Years Eve resolution, and the two who were apprehended said they were sure everyone left the church happier than when they came in.

Priceless comment from one of those at the mass (paraphrasing): “It didn’t smell like incense, and I couldn’t put my finger on it but I have smelled something similar in my son’s bedroom.”

Quote: "In the networks, many celebrated the joke, others laughed thinking that it had really happened. Some were offended, because there is always someone who is offended. And thanks to all of them, to the web that published it, Hay Noticia's server broke down when receiving two million visits in a single day".

@peregrina2000, in this day and age, NEVER rely on just one single news source.

Quote: "In the networks, many celebrated the joke, others laughed thinking that it had really happened. Some were offended, because there is always someone who is offended. And thanks to all of them, to the web that published it, Hay Noticia's server broke down when receiving two million visits in a single day".

@peregrina2000, in this day and age, NEVER rely on just one single news source.

Veteran Member

This is during Mass -- it's a sacrilege. They probably shan't incur any very severe canonical penalty, it's clear they acted from out of ignorance, but it's clear they can't be permitted to fulfil any function whatsoever at the Holy Mass.

It's the journey, not the destination.

NOTE from a chagrined peregrina: If you scroll through this thread, you will see I have been duped! Fake news. But since it is pretty funny, I will leave it up. And a good reminder to me to keep my thinking cap on when I read stories online.

I don’t know if this is a sacrilege or a sin, but I couldn’t help chuckling. Two of the monaguillos (the guys in brown who swing the botafumeiro) were arrested for having put marijuana in the botafumeiro.

Apparently this was part of a New Years Eve resolution, and the two who were apprehended said they were sure everyone left the church happier than when they came in.

Priceless comment from one of those at the mass (paraphrasing): “It didn’t smell like incense, and I couldn’t put my finger on it but I have smelled something similar in my son’s bedroom.”

Volcano Climber

NOTE from a chagrined peregrina: If you scroll through this thread, you will see I have been duped! Fake news. But since it is pretty funny, I will leave it up. And a good reminder to me to keep my thinking cap on when I read stories online. And looking at the report now, I keep saying to myself — HOW could I possibly have thought that was real?! Hopefully, lesson learned.

I don’t know if this is a sacrilege or a sin, but I couldn’t help chuckling. Two of the monaguillos (the guys in brown who swing the botafumeiro) were arrested for having put marijuana in the botafumeiro.

Apparently this was part of a New Years Eve resolution, and the two who were apprehended said they were sure everyone left the church happier than when they came in.

Priceless comment from one of those at the mass (paraphrasing): “It didn’t smell like incense, and I couldn’t put my finger on it but I have smelled something similar in my son’s bedroom.”

New Member

Antediluvian

This is an interesting example of how fake news spreads and then resurfaces from time to time. The original hoax story seems to have been created way back in January 2018. It was picked up here on the forum and retold more than six months later when it had already been revealed as a hoax only days after first appearing. Now within the past 24 hours I have seen it posted again on two different Facebook groups by different people

New Member

This is an interesting example of how fake news spreads and then resurfaces from time to time. The original hoax story seems to have been created way back in January 2018. It was picked up here on the forum and retold more than six months later when it had already been revealed as a hoax only days after first appearing. Now within the past 24 hours I have seen it posted again on two different Facebook groups by different people

Sadly the source here seems to be a legit newspaper in the Dominican Republic. Yet in the body of their story they cite the Spanish source "Hay Noticia" which states at its website it's a humor website for entertainment. Sad!

When I saw the botafumeiro in action this summer, I was surprised that I couldn't smell the incense at all. In my experience whatever they use in cencers in Masses in the USA is quite pungent.

Moderator

This is an interesting example of how fake news spreads and then resurfaces from time to time. The original hoax story seems to have been created way back in January 2018. It was picked up here on the forum and retold more than six months later when it had already been revealed as a hoax only days after first appearing. Now within the past 24 hours I have seen it posted again on two different Facebook groups by different people

I have to say that though I was totally duped in this case, it has been a very good lesson for me. I am much more careful about news outlets, sources, etc. Shortly after the botafumeiro embarrassment, I was called by a "news agency" in my home state that I had never heard of. Rather than just blurt out my opinions on the latest crazy thing my state legislature had done, I told him to call me back in an hour, in which time I had found that it was essentially a Breitbart news type place. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

The story was apparently republished yesterday by an entertainment website that also has a presence on Facebook. With 169,250 people who follow it. And that's not counting their friends and the friends of their friends.

Antediluvian

The story was apparently republished yesterday by an entertainment website that also has a presence on Facebook. With 169,250 people who follow it. And that's not counting their friends and the friends of their friends.